well for jack pointo and no yeah posner. no yeah described as having a huge heart. his twin sister survived the attack in a bathroom. jack's obituary says he'll be remembered for the immeasurable joy he brought to all who knew him. he was a big new york giants fan and the favorite player, victor cruz, wrote jack's name on his shoes for yesterday's games and "my hero." learning more today of what unfolded on friday and the investigation conducted today around the clock by connecticut state police including the revolution that the gunman adam lanza brought an arsenal and hundreds of bullets with him in to the halless of sandy hook elementary. enough to kill everyone in that school. >> we're going to do everything

that it takes to ensure that we uncover every bit of evidence, that we examine every facet of it. we conduct as many interviews with everyone we need to do to paint a clear picture of exactly how and why this tragedy occurred. >> joining me now from newtown is nbc news national investigative correspondent michael isocoff. as we hear police say they want a clear picture, it seems to be more cloudy than even what we heard yesterday, including whether or not adam lanza i tended the elementary school. had even a link to the school. >> reporter: well, we do believe he attended the school years ago but we were told he had no connection to the school. no current connection to the school. he wasn't working there. he wasn't volunteering there. he had no interaction with the school. at this time period of his life. is the way lieutenant vance put it. so that does add to the mystery

that continues to hang over this as to why. why he made this attack. we also have spoken to more friends and family members whoft lanza family today who have reiterated there was no indication of any violence in his background. he was clearly a troubled young man. his mother nancy lanza described him as welcome a recklous. had no regular job. trying to find hip internships to get him out of the house. no indication of violence. one of those friends told us that he was a vegan who has a moral objection to killing animals that -- to eat. so, all that adds yet further mystery to what possibly would have motivated him to do what he did.

>> michael, also in this investigation, people have been hoping to hear or learn more about adam lanza through a digital footprint. these days, people have facebook pages, on twitter. but the destruction of some of the computers in the home may impact what is uncovered in that respect. >> reporter: exactly. so far, by the way, we have found no indication of that facebook, social media presence. nobody's found any online postings that he might have made. but as you mentioned, tamron, investigators are saying that the computer at the home was damaged. the hard drive was removed before the attacks so that's making it very hard for them to piece together what was going on in his life at the time. now, lieutenant vance made it clear that the investigation is ongoing. he does say that they have

acquired significant evidence at the house but he hasn't outlined what it is and so far he did make the point that by the way we are months away from getting a final report from the state police as to what happened here. >> all right. michael, thank you very much. newtown schools are expected to resume class tomorrow but a date is not set for the children of sandy hook. when they'll return and go to a vacant school in a neighboring town. last night, the president assured the kids and their families they are not alone in their grief. >> all across this land of ours, we have wept with you. we have pulled our children tight. >> nbc's craig melvin joins us live from newtown. craig, there were 800 people in the high school gymnasium. many others outside and many more gathered to say good-bye to

no yeah and jack in the services planned for tuesday for at least four other children. >> reporter: tamron, that's right. you mentioned no yeah posner. that funeral at 1:00 today. jack pointo, that funeral set for today. no yeah posner's twin sister survived. we're told jack was a huge new york giants, specifically of victor cruz. yesterday, cruz, the giants star receiver, he had his name on his gloves, he had his name on the cleats, as well and talk that jack pinto might be buried in the number 80 jersey. meanwhile, this morning, moving trucks were there at the elementary school. a number of moving trucks and we're told they're there to remove the furn which you are and some of the other belongings inside the school and take it from sandy elementary school to

chalk hill middle which is a middle school in a nearby town here in connecticut that's vacant. officials are not saying when students will return to class but when they do, they will be going to class at the middle school. meanwhile, these vigils continue to pop up. these makeshift memorials continue to pop up all over this tiny new england town. there's one that's the most famous here in town at the fire station. the fire station where, of course, on friday the scene of so much grief, of so much sadness where all of the parents went to find out whether their little boy or little girl was alive or dead. that has become since then a makeshift memorial. 26 christmas trees there, balloons and ted by bears and flowers, as well. that's the very latest with regards to the community here in newtown, connecticut. >> thank you. in his emotional remarks, the president asked if we're not,

quote, truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out happiness and with purpose and for the first time in a generation we are seeing a call for reasonable gun control legislation. a new "the washington post"/abc news poll finds 54% now favor stricter gun control laws, that's a five-year high, by the way. it is also the point the president made with his call to have action now. >> since i've been president, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by mass shootings. fourth time we have hugged survivors. the fourth time we have consoled the families of victims. we can't tolerate this anymore. these tragedies must end.

and to end them, we must change. we will be told that the causes of such violence are complexed and that is true. no single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or present every senseless act of violence in our society. but that can't be an excuse for inaction. surely we can do better than this. >> that moment is what the "washington post" is calling president obama's enough is enough speech. joining me now, now by the way a consultant to mayors against illegal guns. thank you for joining us. >> thank you, tamron. >> our article is why we wanted you on as a guest here. you said the only thing i experienced similar to this moment was the oklahoma city

bombing where another american killed scores of people and you referred to this and used the word change. the word from the president yesterday, as well. as in stark terms a game changer for this country. >> yeah. that was my emotional reaction as a first responder at oklahoma city when i arrived on that scene, a scene 19 children were also killed by another evil american, that things had to change. that this could not be allowed again and similar feelings after 9/11 and i have absolute confidence our government when forced to change will take significant action. after oklahoma city, i was able to tell my children that it was safe for their dad to work in a federal building and after 9/11 i was able to tell my children that it would be safe to fly on a plane. and i think today there are specific things that can be done to make kids safe in school and they involve changes to gun law. >> what would be the first

significant change you would like to see? i have a gut check question, would they support an assault on the assault weapons. what would be the first immediate change? >> the first immediate change would be the one that 80% of persons already want, and that is, if you buy a gun, you should have a background check. currently 40% of firearm transactions in america happen without a background check. so what that means is in a state like virginia, it's easier for a 20-year-old like our shooter to go and buy a glock than it is a beer. >> but we have talked so much about the loopholes and the gun show loopholes. mayor michael bloomberg in new york stood on the tallest mountains that he can to scream to the world that these things exist. i lived in chicago for ten years. mayor daly at the time stood in front of podiums saying to the country that these loopholes exist. is this really news to people that someone can skirt around

the procedure and easily acquire these assault weapons in this country? >> i think it is news. >> why then is that news? >> i think it is news because for 25 years i talked to common, every day americans and they didn't understand this to be a fact. today what happened that was different this weekend is clergy members, we have teachers, we have moms, we have law enforcement, we have people in the media really listening to what's going on in their country and i think they're hearing what's going on and that's the sensible, easy things that respect constitutional rights can be done and confident that mayors of illegal gun we can help make sure that the action to be taken is meaningful. >> i want to point out a recent trend as it's described expanding gun rights, not contracting and coming up with reasonable compromise. just the day before the shooting in newtown, lawmakers in michigan passed a bill to allow people to carry concealed weapons in churches and in ohio,

cars in guns at the state house and in florida, soon issuing their millionth concealed weapon and firearms license. just today, david, in michigan, republican governor rick snyder's pledged to take a closer look at the measure that would allow concealed weapons in schools and churches and reacting to the news not to what many probably assume from the start would be common sense of why would you need a gun in a school? a concealed gun. >> i understand the frustration you're saying. what the good news is that organizations like mayors against illegal guns are in the fight. and in michigan, in particular, the nra had wanted to make sure that the permit system in michigan was abolished for buying handguns and so i think that things are being done. remember, all of these actions happened prior to friday and what happened in newtown. i am telling you that i am absolutely hopeful and i think things are different. i hear that in the news.

>> you bring up the nra. let's play what michael bloomberg. >> nra's number one objective this time was to defeat barack obama for a second term. last time i checked the election results he won and won comfortably. this myth that the nra can destroy political careers is just not true. we won four out of seven -- four out of seven where the nra supported every one of the four and we won with a small amount of money. there is this myth that the nra is so powerful, you go back to what happened back when the democrats lost after the assault weapons ban. i don't know that the two are connected then but today the nra's power is so vastly overrated. the public when you do the polls, they want to stop this carnage. >> and david, today democratic senator lifelong member of the

nra joe manchin of west virginia said there needs to be a change. is there a myth around the power of the nra? >> i think there's a huge myth. republican pollsters have polled nra members in 75% of them believe in background checks so to me there's plenty of people with common sense who understand that there are changes like background checks and making sure that the system has all the records in it. it's something that can be done easily and needs to be done now. yesterday two law enforcements in kansas were killed. 34 more people will be killed. we need to act quickly and i feel things changed and we are going to take meaningful action. >> thank you very much, david chipman, for your time. you are with mayors against illegal guns. a consultant to that organization. thank you. >> thank you. still ahead, coping with tragedy. chief pastor of the potter house bishop. thed. jakes will discuss the

role of faith. we so many different people joining the president yesterday. what is the road ahead for all of us, the struggle to understand the evil that played out friday. staggering statistics. take to listen to this number. more than 100,000 children killed by gun violence over the last 3 decades. nearly 1.5 million americans total, more than any foreign war zone. we'll talk with a huffington post blogger saying this is no longer an inner city problem that politicians can ignore. >> i can tell you that he is going to have a bill to lead on because it's a first day bill, i'm going to introduce in the senate and the same bill will be introduced in the house. a bill to ban assault weapons. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift

of all day pain relief. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. we create easy-to-use, powerful trading tools for all. look at these streaming charts! they're totally customizable and they let you visualize what might happen next. that's genius! we knew you needed a platform that could really help you elevate your trading. so we built it. chances of making this?

it's a lot easier to find out if a trade is potentially profitable. just use our trade & probability calculator and there it is. for all the reasons you trade options - from income to risk management to diversification - you'll have the tools to get it done. strategies. chains. positions. we put 'em all on one screen! could we make placing a trade any easier? mmmm...could we? around here, options are everything. yes mom, i'll place a long call to you tomorrow. i promise. open an account today and get a free 13-month eibd™ subscription when you call 1-888-280-0159 now. optionsxpress by charles schwab.

today the "wall street journal" reports on new gun control measures the white house may be considering. the journal says a possible ban is a high-capacity magazine, the devices that reload bullets rapidly. the question is, follow-through. it's one thing for politicians to make calls for action in the hours after a tragedy. it's for them to follow through with it weeks or months later. our msnbc in the last hour on msnbc in the last hour senator feinstein said she called the white house this morning to speak with the president about immediate action to support legislation she plans to introduce on the first day of the new congress. >> it will ban the sale, the transfer, the importation and the possession, not retroactively, but perspectively and ban the same for big clips, drums or strips of more than ten bullets. i think america is ready.

they're going to have an opportunity with this bill. >> will the president speak out on it in favor, do you believe? >> i believe he will. >> let's bring in the plitd call panel. nia-malika henderson and keith boykin. let's play what jay carney said in the last hour. >> no single piece of legislation, no single action will fully address the problem. so, i don't have a specific agenda to announce to you today. >> keith, you're a democrat. there are people within your party pressuring the president. dianne feinstein on the phone today. is that enough? why not go after the ban, the legislation? mrs. feinstein said she will have have ready the beginning of the next session. >> it is not enough, you're right. but it is also true no single act will be able to resolve or

eliminate the possible tragedies happening in the future. we need a closing gun show loophole. we need better background checks and we limit or restrict high-capacity magazine clips. we need to do more gun control and i think the public is willing to take that step. now, you saw the poll that they mentioned earlier, 54%. and almost member of the democratic party supports that and really not a lot of political liability for focusing on this issue right now. and it's a lot of fear keeping democrats from doing this. i worked in the clinton administration. after clinton did the assault weapons ban, people thought democrats should never focus on this issue. guess what, democrats. we dropped the ball. we didn't push on this issue so busy trying to get a president-elected and we let go of one of the fundamental issues. >> how much of it is that you have people who associate the party with liberals, folks in the northeast that don't come

from places where there's a gun culture. i'm from texas. you don't have to tell me the culture of the gun. my dad was in the army. i have seen my share of guns in homes. but when you have a joe manchin, lifelong member of the nra, let's play what he said and does that lend credibility and dismiss the argument of you liberals in the northeast, you don't get us? let me play what he said this morning. >> anybody, anybody that lives in america, anybody that's a proud gun owner, a proud member of the nra, they're also proud parents, proud grandparents. they understand this has changed where we go from here. not to have a responsible dialogue and have everybody at the table, not just the people you think that would support this. i'm a lifetime member. and i'm willing to sit down and ask all of my colleagues to sit down. >> and i ask that because on "meet the press" david gregory noted 31 pro-gun advocates and all declined and this morning,

you have joe manchin coming out and i guess showing what some would call courage. >> yeah. not only joe manchin but joe car borough coming out for this. >> joe scarborough but people who are voting. >> you're right. there's a trend. rupert murdoch saying he supports the gun control, too. americans have to tstop waiting for the politicians to lead. same thing with the grover norquist pledge and this nra fear. politicians are elected to do a job. they're not elected to get re-elected every two or four or eight years or six years. they're elected to do a job and if you lose because you do your job, then let it be. stand up for what is right. >> then that brings me to the president. obviously, enough is enough moment. i believe that's what "the washington post" called it. our first read team says that

obama raised expectations k. they deliver? >> that's a good question. it's going to be up to as much as republicans but democrats, as well. think about kay hagan in north carolina, up for re-election soon. can she come out for such legislation? somebody like harry reid, who in the last election a lot of his supporters were courting the nra endorsement and nra donated to harry reid's come pain and there are a lot of democrats in the red states who might have to take some political risk here and coming out for some of this legislation in terms of gun control. >> and persuasive in saying we are not taking your guns. we are coming up with reasonable legislation. does a person need a weapon in their home that's used in iraq and afghanistan? but i want to play -- we talk about reasonable. what some people might see in unreasonable, the battle on the other side. let's play what texas congressman had to say, his reaction to all of this.

>> i wish to god she had had an m-4 in her office locked up so when she heard gun fire, she pulls it out and didn't have to lunge heroically with nothing in the hands and takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids. >> the congressman sounds as if he's writing a script for a movie, that -- and you have people, of course, who say schools are quote/unquote soft targets. does it take a senator manchin, again, a lifelong member of the nra to bring in to the fold if you will, in a conversation of reasonable gun control to bring in someone like gomert or just not possible? >> i think we're at the beginning of a conversation that's going to happen. >> but we are at the beginning. the president noted this is the fourth time. he's addressed this country. we are not. we are at the beginning of this investigation with this tragedy that happened 60 miles from here. but we're not at the beginning.

we are at the beginning, the kids gunned down in chicago. i get what you mean but this isn't the beginning. >> i do think that this episode was so traumatic and jarring, those other episodes, you did hear people come out and say, well, now's not the time to talk about gun control. at this point, i do think we have the president in that speech very moving but also in some ways a political speech and he did talk about using the weight of his presidency to affect some change around the country, around gun control, around the culture of violence that exists in this country. you have to figure out what sort of horses you have in the senate and you have in the house. and what sort of stomach the folks across the party line haves to actually get something done and then is there a broader conversation to happen around mental health, around the culture and violence of video games. i sort of made the allusion again to the 16th street church bombing back in the '60s and how

that seeing those kids at the center of such a violence episode, so traumatic that that was a turning point and you feel like this might be it. >> read those names of kids, charlotte and benjamin, it's just so searing and traumatic. >> a quick point. adam lanza's mother had weapons in her house and yet they were used against her to kill her. and a lot of times people think they can use the weapons to save themselves and then turned against them. it's time for americans to understand we are not trying to take away everyone's guns. i'm from a place that people had guns. my mom is from texas. she has two or three guns. let's stop the nonsense of the left and right and do what's right for america. >> thank you. always awesome to talk with you. i love your perspective and insight. thank you. >> thank you. still ahead, pastor. thed. jakes how to cope and explain the violence and when you ask the question, why, god,

do you allow these things to happen? we'll find out what pastor jakes says. the obama administration said that the president is ready to address reasonable changes to gun laws. but the big question we have is, when? nbc's peter alexander at the white house briefing and will have more for us in a moment. time for the "your business" entrepreneur of the week." they started footsteps clothing which had a booming christmas theme pajama line. not want to be a seasonal business, they added holidays and expanded to products that celebrate family life. my kids both want this nook hd+. my son loves the apps and movies. but my daughter? vampire books. sharing... whooh forget it! with our walmart credit card -- special financing, we can get two. the kids are happy. my shopping's done. our budget -- under control.

now, let's go. i knew that. right. umph, i love that woman. [ male announcer ] get the seasons hottest brands, like nook hd and hd+. make an electronics purchase of $299 or more on your walmart credit card and get no interest if paid in full within 12 months. america's gift headquarters. walmart.

welcome back. newspapers in and around newtown carried the names and pictures of all of those lost inside the walls of sandy hook enmen tear. joining me now is nbc's michelle franzen. she is there with the youngest victim noah pozner's being laid to rest there. we see the activity behind you. the families asked for privacy. you and the journalists are respecting that. but obviously, they've expressed i guess details about their children. they do want the world to know. >> reporter: well, that's true. they have made a spot for the media here.

they know this is one of the first funerals for 20 beautiful little faces that we have come to learn about over the last few days. noah pozner, of course, 6-year-old who died on that day in the gun fire and a short i'm toog, a streddy stream of relatives and friends pouring out of an emotional ceremony. we spoke to a rabbi who visited and attended the ceremony today. he said it was full of poignant moments about the little boy, full of emotion and even little noah's mom spoke and one of the things she said up there and she gathered strength, she called her son her little man so we're hearing a little bit more about these little personalities, these wonderful personalities, little that with a was described by the uncle a few days ago as someone who was very gentle but also rambunctious, of course, and never skipped a beat. of course, little noah had a twin sister who was in a separate class and survived that attack and an older sister,

8-year-old sophia and another funeral in newtown, of course, with little jack pinto, 6 years old, a classmate of noah's. the second funeral that is taking place today and he was, of course, very interested in sports. great photograph released showing him beaming as he was in the little uniform and he was also a big football fan, as well. and certainly he was a big giants fan of victor cruz who honored him last night. tamron? >> thank you, michelle, for the update. the debate over the federal assault weapons ban is the subject of our gut check. a lot of you tweeted us. how you can weigh in on this topic, specifically where you can go. and just moments ago, white house spokesman jay carney said the president will have a plan in the coming weeks to address the gun violence that shattered yet another community. >> the president of the united states who upon meeting with pat

and i just a little while ago said that the most difficult day of his presidency was friday when he heard the news of that which had befallen this community. progressive direct and other car insurance companies? yes. but you're progressive, and they're them. yes. but they're here. yes. are you...? there? yes. no. are you them? i'm me. but those rates are for... them. so them are here. yes! you want to run through it again? no, i'm good. you got it? yes. rates for us and them -- now that's progressive. call or click today.

i don't have to leave my desk and get up and go to the post office anymore. [ male announcer ] with stamps.com you can print real u.s. postage for all your letters and packages. i have exactly the amount of postage i need, the instant i need it. can you print only stamps? no...

first class. priority mail. certified. international. and the mail man picks it up. i don't leave the shop anymore. [ male announcer ] get a 4 week trial plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again.

i now ask that the united states senate observe a moment of silence to honor the victims of the sandy hook elementary school tragedy. >> senate majority leader harry reid marking a moment of silence a few moments ago to honor the victims of the shooting at sandy hook elementary school. just within the last hour, the white house given a timeline when it plans to start taking on gun violence. white house spokesperson jay carney called it a complex problem that will require complex solutions and said gun legislation is only part of the equation.

white house correspondent peter alexander joining us. peter, as we understand it, the white house planning to make a move within the weeks ahead. what does that mean? >> good question. that's the question we need posing to white house press secretary jay carney a moment ago. he referred to this as a complex problem needing complex solutions and said no single piece of legislation and one policy to handle this. he was peppered with questions, among other things asking specifically what the president meant when he said he would use all of the power of his office to try to effect change referring to the epidemic of gun violence in the country and no specific proposal he brought forth or timeline going forward. i heard your conversation with the guests in the last 15 minutes or so and i said what the the president say to americans right now asking the question today, why did it take until now for the president to take sincere action? as you noted, he's been to four

communities now from colorado and arizona, ft. hood, texas, and now connecticut to console families in the wake of mass members and jay carney essentially said that's what they're focused on right now is doing more, going forward. it's obviously a lot of pressure being put on this president by a lot of gun control advocates and still remains to be seen exactly what action we will see in the days and weeks ahead. >> you talk about that pressure, peter. i want to play what mayor bloomberg said about the timeline in his estimation there's no time to waste. >> the president spoke out visibly on gun violence after the mass shooting in tucson two years ago. yet, since those shootings happened, more than 24,100 americans have been murdered with guns. that's right. in two years, 24,100 more americans murdered in guns. had we done something now, a vast number of those would be alive today. and their families wouldn't have been torn asunder.

>> senator dianne feinstein said she made a call to the president and the white house, peter, as you well know. talk me to about the pressure. reminds me of the same-sex marriage debate when joe biden kind of sum stblstumbled in to the president in a position to say where stood and what legislation or what moves he would like to see in this country. very different topics, obviously. but in a sense, this latest incident does put the president in words from bloomberg and others in a position where he has to take a stand. >> reporter: yeah. very different topics, but obviously, still personal impact on the president. tamron, as we saw the president wiping away tears from the eyes on friday, and the press briefing room, a short distance away from here, it was obvious the impact of this murder spree was different than past killings that we have unfortunately had to cover over the course of the last several years.

the real question is how much political capital is the president willing to spend on the battle. the nra which is effectively muted in the course of this conversation is they want all the information out before they join the debate, 13especificall. the nra is a forceful power here. mayor bloomberg said yesterday speaking to david gregory "on meet the press" he believes the power of the gun lobby is vastly overrated but enough to deter movement on this issue for the past many years. >> yes. peter, thank you very much. greatly appreciate you updating us from the white house. and the brady campaign to prevent gun violence says since 1970, 1.4 million americans violently killed with firearms. that is more than all u.s. service men and women killed in all foreign wars combined. it is also a stat that chairman of the stop handgun violence quoted in the huffington post blog titled "enough dead

children from gun violence." and joins me now live. thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> let's ask for your reaction of the nra silent except waiting to get more information on the investigation. >> well, the nra has virtually owned the republican party and they have intimidated the democrats in to submission. so, you know, they're just going to lay in the weeds. they already know they control congress. and as a result, 83 more people will die today and every day. i mean, just since the massacre in newtown 240 more americans died. average 83 a day and 8 kids. that's another 24 kids. so basically, another classroom has been emptied by gun fire just since the newtown massacre. >> let's read something saying in part it is easy and in moments of desprar such as friday understandable to scream more to gun control, more to the morass of airport-style security that is spreading its way across the institutions.

more to the diagnosis and the institutionalization of the mentally ill but it's much harder to write the laws to guarantee adam lanza could never find a gun or enter a school by force and go without supervision he might have needed. you said it's another horrific -- not this specific comment but mental illness, video games, violent movies and the evils in the society. you specifically refer to this in your piece. >> yes. and it's interesting that you bring up airport security. i mean, we lost 3,000 americans on 9/11. we lose 3,000 children to gun violence every year. we lose 3,000 americans to gun violence every month. and there's no background check requirement. there is no ban on military-style weapons. you can buy them in -- well,

roughly 33 states and thousands of gun shows. just like the weapon this kid used on friday. a bushmaster with a high-capacity ammunition clip designed for maximum soft body tissue damage. now, we've always had mentally ill people, and evil in our society. we have never, except for the last few decades, thanks to the nra and a spineless congress, we have never armed mentally ill people with military-style weapons and easily concealed handguns without an i.d. or background check requirement. >> what do you say to those who will watch this and believe that liberals are folks in the northeast just want to finally get their hands on their guns, to violate the 2nd amendment rights that you are clamoring and have been waiting for a moment like this? >> oh, it's ridiculous. i'm a gun owner. i'm a strong believer in the 2nd amendment. i go to a gun store to buy a gun. they have to run a background check. i can pass a background check.

congress says it's perfectly fine for criminals, the mentally ill and al qaeda and hezbollah proven to come to the u.s. to buy guns at gun shows, pawnshops, flea markets and out of backpacks and car trunks without a background check or i.d. requirement. our national gun policy as dictated by the nra and allowed by our shameless congress is to allow unprestricted access to all firearms without an i.d. or a background check unless you're stupid enough to go to a gun store. and why would you if you can't pass a background check when it's legal? 40% to 50% of guns sold in this country every year by private dealers with no i.d. or background check. >> we would love to have you back on to continue the conversation in the aspect of the fact the guns used in connecticut legally purchased

and invite you back on and able to come back tomorrow. thank you, john. >> oh, any time. >> absolutely. up next, pastor t.d. jakes to answer those questions. [ nyquil bottle ] hey tylenol, you know we're kinda like twins. [ tylenol bottle ] we are?

yeah we both relieve coughs, sneezing,

aches, fevers. and i relieve nasal congestion. overachiever. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. president obama quoted scripture at last night's memorial in newtown, connecticut, while trying to comfort the victims, their families and the nation. and bishop t.d. jakes joins me now, minister of potter house of dallas. bishop, thank you for joining us. as i mentioned, the president referred to the bible and the mention of children and people from all religious affiliations at that memorial yesterday. and you and i know the common question that people ask in these times which is simply, why? what do you tell your members and those that called you? >> tamron, that is a very common question. and it is a very complex

question. i think it's very question we should avoid when our souls have been traumatized to the degree it has. i'm not sure our finite minds embrace the plan and wisdom of god and to really try to quantify exactly why such things happen, the only thing that i share with our congregation that's very important to understand, god has given us a human will, a free will which we enjoy with arts and drama and science and all the things we're able to explore. he gave us that free will and then gave us an added influence of a marshall that we call conscious and when the brain works appropriately, we don't have a problem. when someone's brain does not work appropriately, that free will can be devastating and we owe it upon ourselves to look out for those mentally, motionally or psychologically disturbed and get the help they need before they go to this type of violence. >> absolutely. and we have talked about what

type of weapons to ban and what legislation can be put forth. but you discussed those who are mentally ill and suffering, if you will, and with their own demons there. but what do you believe can be done? >> you know, i don't -- that's really out of my lane but i know something has to be done, not only for those that are mentally ill, but i think we have to be careful of people under stress and start out well and don't end up well. many, many people would not categorize or have a psychological disorder on the profile but snap under the pressure and challenges so persuasive in the society today. we all have to be watchmen on the wall and answer the question of the scriptures, am i my brother's keeper and we all are. mutually responsible to make sure that the brothers are well taken care of and our children are kept safe. >> absolutely. and you as i mentioned you speak to thousands of members, 30,000 at your church. every sunday. throughout the week.

and it's a situation and a man of faith and written books of finding fortitude to carry on day after you when you personally hear something like this and see the results of evil as the governor of that state of connecticut referred to it, what do you -- how do you even find comfort? >> well, you know, governor malloy said something very profound saying that faith is a gift. and to me faith is very, very much a gift. i want the say to your audience in the midst of the questions we have as human beings to understand that the presence of faith does not remove the presence of doubt. that they coexist in us in the same way the presence of courage does not mean that we don't have fear. but to allow that greater voice inside of you to be that one that we trust and rely upon god's wisdom and plan for our lives, everything we will not understand but understanding does not necessarily cancel out faith. looking to him and understanding

in the christian faith, we are praying a god who gave his son and to have that connectivity even when it's a connectivity of pain to give us an understanding he can be touched by how we feel. >> bishop t.d. jakes, thank you so much for your time. we greatly appreciate it. again, that service yesterday was open to all people, no matter what they believe, but we all know that folks need comfort and as you said we are brothers or sister's keeper. thank you so much, bishop. >> absolutely. thanks for having me. >> absolutely. we'll be right back. [ woman ] ring. ring.

progresso. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

welcome back. time now for the gut check. should the federal assault weapons ban be reinstated? tell us your folks at facebook.com/newsnation. that does it for this edition of "news nation." i'll see you tomorrow. "the cycle" is up next. now with a fancy coating that gives you a burst of wildberry flavor. now why make a flavored heartburn pill?

because this is america. and we don't just make things you want, we make things you didn't even know you wanted. like a spoon fork. spray cheese. and jeans made out of sweatpants. so grab yourself some new prilosec otc wildberry. [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.

today on "the